LUGANO

Dollmann was the first important German SS officer who made an attempt to negotiate with the Western Allies. Dollmann, Parilli, and Zimmer arrived at the Swiss border on March 3 1945 and were met by Max Hussman, a professor and acquaintance of Parilli, and Lieutenant Friedrich Rothpletz, a Swiss intelligence officer. The men were taken by Rothpletz to a restaurant in Lugano where they waited for the arrival of an OSS agent. While waiting, Hussman argued to the Germans that the East-West alliance was not going to not break; thus, their only choice was unconditional surrender. However, Hussman advocated surrender primarily because he as well as other Swiss wanted to avoid turning the Italian border into a war zone.

After the men had been waiting for hours, OSS representative Paul Blum arrived. He was instructed to find out whom Dollmann and Zimmer were speaking for and what it was that they were after. Through direct questioning Blum identified Dollmann as an associate of Wolff. Zimmer declined to provide information regarding German objectives or conditions, but stated that if contact was established he would return on March 8 with a proposal and credentials. Blum would not consider a separate surrender that had been advocated by Dollmann. Additionally, Blum gave Dollmann an indication of where the OSS stood in regards to negotiating. Blum requested the release of Ferruccio Parri, an Italian partisan leader, and Antonio Usmiani, a member of the Royal Italian Secret Service (RSI). Both had been captured, and the OSS would see their release as a sign of sincerity by the Germans.

Dollmann, Parilli, and Zimmer returned to northern Italy to report to Wolff that contact had been made with the OSS and to obtain further instructions. Although Blum had closed the option of splitting the alliance or deviating from the policy of unconditional surrender, he had indicated that the OSS was willing to talk if certain measures were taken. However, Dollmann and his men still held the idealistic view that the Third Reich would remain strong; thus, by making a deal they felt they would be given preferential treatment and that the Nazis would be highly looked upon in Europe. Censorship and Nazi propaganda had tremendous effects on the minds of Germans as they were convinced that they would remain strong despite their struggles in the spring of 1945. After returning from Lugano on March 4, Dollmann met with Wolff and Rudolf Rahn, Ambassador to the RSI, to discuss what had taken place in Lugano. After hearing the proposal of the OSS, Wolff agreed to the release of Parri and Usmiani and decided to go to Switzerland himself on March 8 to deal directly with Dulles.

Source:

Smith, Bradley F. & Agarossi, Elena. Operation Sunrise: The Secret Surrender. New York: Basic Books, 1979.